Pioneer finished third in the TCC, earning a playoff bid; Woodland finished fourth, missing playoffs, but Burger, Burger and Montoya are in as individuals

With a win over Woodland and a third place finish in the second 18 hole Tri-County Conference tournament this past week Pioneer propelled itself into the Division III Sac-Joaquin Section playoffs.

As a team the Patriots (15-10, 15-8 TCC) shot a 255 to best rival Woodland’s 266 on Monday, sophomore Jun Park had the best score between both teams with a 41 at the Cherry Island Golf Course, a par 37.

For Pioneer, behind Park it was seniors Bryce Hansen and Robbie Bennett who shot a 47 and 50, respectively, followed by junior Adam Kjar’s 55 and freshman Giovanni Scollay-Downs who shot a 62.

For Woodland the pace was set by senior Ryan Burger who finished with a 44 followed by freshman Matt Burger a 46, senior Juan Montoya a 48, sophomore Raman Gil a 62 and senior John Tripp a 66.

Next up was Thursday’s TCC tournament which Pioneer placed third in with a team score of 491, finishing just ahead of Woodland’s 516. River Valley took first place with a team score of 416, Inderkum was second at 484.

It was once again Park who led the Patriots, he shot a 93 — tied for best on the team with Scollay-Downs. Kjar was right behind with a 96, Bennett a 101 and freshman Jordan Reiselt’s 108.

The Wolves were led by the senior tandem of Burger and Montoya, the two shot an 85 and 92, respectively. Matt Burger shot a 95, Gil a 119 and Tripp a 125.

Pioneer, in grabbing third place in the tournament, solidified its spot as third in the TCC standings — the top three teams earn a playoff bid.

While Woodland just missed out by finishing fourth in the conference, the top six players from non-playoff teams also get to participate in Monday’s divisional round of the playoffs. Three players from Woodland — Ryan Burger, Juan Montoya and Matt Burger — earned the honor.

Monday’s playoffs will be at the Yolo Fliers Club, a par 72, tee times start at 11 a.m. and are expected to run until around 4 p.m.